Butch Jones is taking back the state of Tennessee with every commitment he lands. On Monday night, he landed one of the biggest yet when Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School defensive lineman Brant Lawless jumped on a Facetime call and committed to the Volunteers.

“Every time I always went down there I always felt like I was at home and that’s where I was supposed to be,” Lawless said of his decision. “I decided to hurry up and make my decision. Hopefully it will be a great place for me and a great move.”

Lawless was a high school teammate of current Tennessee linebacker Daniel Bituli and though he didn’t grow up a fan of the Volunteers, a visit to Tennessee with Bituli was a turning point in his recruitment and he never looked back.

“I went to the game, I believe I went with Bituli down to a game. I loved the atmosphere it was crazy that left a big impact as well. I’ve had the feeling for a real long time, just waiting to make the decision at the right time I’ve always felt that way about the school.”

In April alone, the Volunteers have landed four in-state pledges, two out of the class of 2018 (OL Olie Lane and ATH Shatar McClay) and two out of the 2019 class (ATH Cameron Wynn and CB Adonis Otey). Now in the first day of May, Lawless gives the Vols one of their highest ranked commits of the class. Lawless is planning on helping the Vols maintain that momentum.